College of the Year

(L to R) Dame Ruth Silver presents ‘Provider of the Year’ award to Robin Coe and Sally Hanson from The Bournemouth and Poole College.

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The Bournemouth and Poole College is celebrating being selected as ‘Provider of the Year’ in a prestigious national awards ceremony. The ‘Learner Voice’ awards have been running for four years, and are established to identify and showcase best practice in supporting learners in post-16 education.

‘Provider of the Year’ is the main award of the event, and recognises much of the innovative work The Bournemouth and Poole College has done to celebrate students, gather their views and use their feedback to influence the running of the organisation.

Attending the prize–giving in London, Robin Coe, Student Services Manager and Sally Hanson, a student ambassador, were delighted to accept the award. Robin said, “We were up against further education colleges, sixth form colleges and private training providers from across the whole country, so we knew the competition was fierce.”

“When they called out our college name we were thrilled, as it means our investment in listening to students, and getting them really engaged has truly made a difference. They were particularly impressed with our new Student Ambassador programme, so it was great to bring Sally along to share the celebrations.”

Hosted by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) the awards were presented by Dame Ruth Silver, LSIS Chair who hailed the event as ‘one of the highlights of the further education year’.

College Principal, Lawrence Vincent also attended the ceremony and commented, “The ‘Learner Voice’ is making a significant contribution to the development of the sector as a whole. At The Bournemouth and Poole College we have always held a firm belief that students should always have a say about college life, and we really value their views. For us, this is nothing new, but it is wonderful to receive the College of the Year award which is testimony to our values and commitment.”

He added, “Winning such a fantastic award comes at a time when all colleges have been facing difficulties, including ours. What is so good about the timing is that no matter what problems the economy presents to us, further education is all about the learner, and providing them the best possible opportunities in life.”